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TRAC – Decline in Drug-Related Seizure of Property

“In the last five years, there has been a gradual but steady decline in the number of civil lawsuits filed each month in federal courts for the drug-related seizure of property, according to case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Such suits are filed as part of the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture program to seize assets that “represent the proceeds of, or were used to facilitate federal crimes.” There were 92 such lawsuits filed during July 2013, representing a drop of 8.2 percent from one year ago, and a decrease of 21 percent from the same period in 2008. These counts are only for seizures by federal agencies and do not cover the increasing use of such laws by state and local enforcement authorities. The full report, including a five year timeline and top ten district list, is here.”

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